2 Improvements

This post isn't going to be about any of the naughty things Ryan has been doing. I'm not even going to talk about how I caught Ryan licking the bottom of his shoe this week. Nope, no mention of that.

Instead, I'd like to brag about Ryan's 2 latest accomplishments!

1) First, I have discovered another healthy food that he will eat....brown rice topped with parmesan cheese. I'm so glad I've found a whole grain that he will eat, that is really healthy for him. It's very messy, but that's ok.

2) Ryan's vocabulary now includes "Dada", "Daw" and his latest word....."Ball"! (Pronounced "Bawl" with an emphasis on the "W".) He has learned his 3rd real word, and uses it all the time now. I hope this trend continues!

I Keep Forgetting.....

That I'm pregnant! I knew that I wouldn't have as much mental energy this time around to focus on the pregnancy, what with chasing this little monster around all day.
But I didn't think I'd actually go entire days without thinking about this little baby inside of me. I feel a little guilty for saying that, but it's true. I think once I'm showing and feeling the baby kick it will become more real for me.

Last night I sat down next to Adam at about 10pm on the couch, and said "Oh Wow, I'm pregnant! I almost forgot".

He responded "Yea I forgot too. Maybe you're not really pregnant".

Way to show me some support and encouragement husband!

Fun and Germs

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving with Adam's family this year (Ryan and his Daddy dominated the mashed potatoes). Then on Saturday we went to get our Christmas Tree (in Castro Valley this year, a switch from our usual Santa Cruz Mountains destination).

I am thankful we got to enjoy these activities with our family before getting sick again. Yes, you read that right. Just a couple weeks after recovering from pneumonia and bronchitis, we are all sick again. This time it's just colds, but still no fun. I was reading online about getting sick while pregnant, and found some interesting information. Pregnant women are more likely to get sick because their immune systems are suppressed. This happens to ensure the mother's body doesn't "fight off" the baby. But as a result, she is extra susceptible to germs.

I also read that a pregnant woman can do a few things to prevent getting sick. A) Take her prenatal vitamin every day. I admit I am bad at remembering. B) Eat an extra healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. Ummm healthy foods make me want to throw up right now. C) Get lots of rest, more than 8 hours each night if possible. HA!

What? Where?

Whenever I ask Ryan a question that starts with "what" or "where", he gives me this response:
"I don't know Mommy. What do you think?"
Yesterday I asked him what Daddy was doing. He went to investigate.
We're starting things early this year!

First Haircut

Ryan got his first hair cut today! He has needed one for quite some time, but I just didn't feel ready. Lately all of his "fluff" has been getting in his eyes and forming a tail down the nape of his neck. So we took him in. He did really well! He cried a little bit but then got distracted by the other kids there (and the disney movie playing).

Before:
During and After!

Timeout

This is Ryan in timeout right now. He threw his cup at my head. I gave him a warning. He stared at me for a minute. Then picked it up, smiled, and threw it at me again.
I have been pretty darn consistent with timeouts for the past week or so. But see that look on Ryan's face? He enjoys timeout. In fact, when I say "OK now you're going in timeout" he immediately heads over to his playpen. Ha! And when he's in timeout, he just stands quietly waiting for me. Or he bounces around, giggling to himself. Something about this doesn't seem right.....

Like Daddy Like Son

Foodie Friday: Crazy Variety

Confession time. When I plan my meals for the week, I put a lot of thought into them. Probably more so than the average person. Probably enough to make some think I'm a little crazy. But I know exactly who I get this from....my mom! Growing up I remember she had a schedule (and probably still does) of proteins for our dinners, to ensure we got plenty of variety in out diets. It was something like: beef, vegetarian, fish, chicken, pork...she would rotate through the various proteins each night and then start back at the beginning.

When I plan my meals, I not only aim for a variety of proteins, but also carbohydrates. For example, if we have chicken and rice one night, I wouldn't make chicken or rice the next couple of nights. The next night would be beef and potatoes. Then Fish and pasta, or pork and tortillas or bread. Am I crazy? This past week's dinners are a perfect example of my neurotic menu planning:

Saturday: Chicken Sausage Jambalaya (Chicken, Rice)

Sunday: Pot Roast (Beef, Potatoes)

Monday: Salmon, Whole Wheat Couscous, Broccoli (Fish, Pasta?)

Tuesday: Mexican Chicken Casserole (Chicken, Tortillas (Corn))

Wednesday: Egg Foo Yung, Asian Noodle Salad (Vegetarian, Pasta)

Thursday: Italian Turkey Sausage & Pepper Calzones (Turkey, Bread)

I even go as far as to include a variety of cuisines. For example, if we have burritos one night, I wouldn't make tacos the next night because that's 2 nights in a row of Mexican. I told you, I'm a little crazy. Anyone else out there plan their meals like this? No? It's just me?

10 Week Belly

I am technically not 10 weeks until tomorrow, but when I went to the Dr. a few weeks ago she said I was measuring ahead by at least a couple days. That makes me feel a little better about my growing belly. (Excuse the creepy hand holding onto nothing)

I mean, it's not huge. But it's definitely something. I just don't know yet if it's bloating, fat, or an actual baby growing belly. Probably a combo of all 3. I'll try to post a belly photo every month, if not more frequently throughout my pregnancy.

Recent Ryan

Nully Baby #2

In case you didn't figure it out from my last post, another little Nullmeyer Baby is due next year! (June 15th is the approximate due date). It has been SO hard to keep this a secret from everyone, since I've already known for 6 weeks. Because I had some complications in the beginning of my pregnancy with Ryan, I was a bit hesitant to share the news right away this time.

But the good news is that we saw and heard the baby's heartbeat last week! What a wonderful sound! It was hammering away at 160 bpm. Everything looked great, and there was no ominous dark blood clot on the ultrasound this time around.

So how have I been feeling? Here's a little summary from the first few weeks of my pregnancy.

5 weeks: I don't remember having any symptoms this early on with Ryan. But this baby is a different story! I am nauseous off and on all day. I'll eat something, and within 1-2 hours my stomach will feel sick and empty. I have to snack throughout the day to help with the nausea, but certain foods will sound good one minute and horrible an hour later. It's hard to eat a healthy diet right now. In the afternoon the fatigue hits me. From about 1-4 all I want to do is lay around and do nothing. By early evening I have enough energy back to do a little cleaning and cook dinner. But then by 9 I am ready for bed.
6 weeks: The nausea is still going strong! I have this new thing where I can't eat anything twice. I used to be the queen of leftovers, eating them every day for lunch to avoid wasting food. But now I can't even look at something if I've eaten it in the past week. Today I ate Taco Bell (gasp!) for lunch because everything in my refrigerator made me want to throw up.
7 weeks: Headaches and tummyaches! I have had a headache 3 times this week. Probably because I've been cutting back on caffeine, but they seem to be the kind that won't go away unless I go to sleep. And we all know that doesn't happen much! I was also sick this week, so this was generally just not a good week. Adam thinks I'm starting to "show" a little bit. I told him it's just some extra fat from all the snacking I've been doing. I have been getting a stomach-ache almost daily. Not sure why.

Now that I'm about 10 weeks along, the nausea is starting to fade. I still get a weird taste in my mouth after eating, and certain foods just taste "off". Example: this morning I made whole wheat pancakes and they tasted like soap. I can feel my energy starting to return, but I'm still taking advantage of every little break I get to sit down and relax more than usual. Growing a baby is hard work!

A Message From Ryan

Foodie Friday: Recipe Collection

I don't know about you, but my collection of recipes has always been an unorganized mess. I store them in a gallon-size ziploc bag. The recipes are a collection of magazine pages, internet printouts, and hand-written family recipes. It takes me forever to find what I'm looking for, so I've always wanted to organize my recipes into something prettier and more usable. This past week I finally did just that! I've been putting my recipes in an old binder I had and I'm really happy with the results so far. How do you store your recipe collection?After sorting through my recipes I realized I've been keeping many recipes that I've never even tried. My goal now is to try each one. If we like it, it will be included in my recipe collection book. Otherwise it's getting tossed. Last night I tried a new recipe: Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples

I thought it was pretty good. Definitely sweeter than your typical chicken dish, but the tartness from the cranberries helped with that.

I think it tastes best when paired with a salty side dish, like the stuffing that I made. Adam wasn't a big fan of it, so I'm not sure if I'll put it in my recipe book.This meal definitely got my taste buds excited for Thanksgiving!

18-Month Checkup

Ryan had his 18-month checkup today with his pediatrician. Here are his growth stats:

Weight: 23 lbs (13%)

Height: 31.75 inches (30%)

Head: 19 inches (64%)

Overall Ryan is a healthy 18-month old. However, his Dr. really gave me a lot to think about today. He is still concerned about 3 areas of Ryan's development: sleeping, eating, and speech. He believes that the difficulties we are having with Ryan are all somehow related to each other. And he believes that changing the way we treat Ryan can really be beneficial for his development. He basically wants Adam and I to get tougher. Not just with discipline, but also with how we feed Ryan and put him to sleep. His Dr. said he has seen similar cases where the parents gave in too much to their "difficult" children, and they ended up with more serious problems down the road. I certainly do not want to be responsible for any of Ryan's developmental issues, and I am willing to change the way I treat him if it means a happier and healthier Ryan. I still have a lot to digest from the appointment, and a lot to talk about with Adam. But here are the 3 main changes the Dr. suggested:

Sleep: I think everyone knows how horrible Ryan's sleep habits are. At this point Ryan's Dr. suggested we really crack down and let Ryan cry himself to sleep. We have tried many gentler methods and they just don't seem to work for him. Because Ryan is no longer in a crib, this makes it harder to keep him in his bed. His pediatrician went as far as to suggest we shut his door and use a video monitor to ensure Ryan is safe while falling asleep.

Eating: Ryan's eating habits are pretty unhealthy. I told that the Dr. that while I know Ryan's diet isn't good, I have a strong desire to just make sure Ryan is fed. Unfortunately that means his diet is lacking many important components. The only finger foods he will touch are chicken nuggets, crackers, and chips. Ryan's Dr. wants us to only offer Ryan healthy options going forward. If he eats them, fantastic. If not, mealtime is over. He said Ryan will likely become hungry and eventually will try the healthier finger foods. He also said no more baby food; Ryan is too old to be relying on Stage 2 purees for his nutrition.

Speech: We will focus more on this once the sleeping and eating habits are under control. Ryan should have between 15 and 20 words at this point, but he still only has 2. His Dr. suggested we pick a couple things/activities and withold them from Ryan until he says the word. Things like "outside" or "train".

I sincerely hope this new "tough love" method works. I often feel like Ryan is unhappy and fussy most of the time, and as a result, parenting him is often not very fulfilling or enjoyable. I am hoping that these changes will make all of us happier.

Weak Lungs

I feel like it's been so long since I've blogged, almost like I lost touch with the world there for a while. And I kind of did, being sick for the past 2 weeks. Here's a recap of recent happenings in Nully Land.
1) We are all finally getting better. Ryan is still on antibiotics, which seem to be helping with his cough. But Adam and I in particular have noticed we have no lung capacity. Even the simplest activity leaves me out of breath and needing to sit down. The other day in Target Adam had to take a break from pushing the shopping cart because he was winded. This bronchitis stuff is not fun!
2) Ryan is officially weaned, as of about 3 weeks ago. It's been tough not nursing him while he was sick, because in the past that always provided him comfort. He has been making up for it by sticking his hand down my shirt at every opportunity.
3) Our house is a mess. Not surprising, since we've been sick. But lately it feels like I just can't stay on top of it. The minute I get things looking decent, hurricane Ryan comes through again. And I'm just talking about straightening up and keeping up with the laundry and dishes. Dusting? Swiffering? Forget about it.
4) Ryan's new favorite activity is hitting me. Not sure yet how to handle this. Timeouts are an option, although he seems a tad young for them. The word NO means nothing to him. I'm trying to at least teach him to give me a hug after he does something mean to me.
5) I have barely cooked at all in the past 2 weeks and I really miss it. I need to get back into the swing of things soon with some new recipes, once my energy is back. More about that on Friday.